But A Breath
by Annjirika
Summary: Riku's being all reflecty again and Sora does something silly to brighten his mood. [one-shot]


_A/N: What is up with me and short, dramatic one-shots lately? Ah well, tis a phase. Should pass soon enough. _

_Dedicated to a friend of mine. We've hit a rough spot. One day we'll get past it, if we both quit being so damn stubborn and let go of it. You know who you are. I really do love you._

_Because of fanfiction's new rule about no songfics, I can't use the lyrics to the song I was going to put up. I can't give the link to them because the group I am using is very new and very local and there are no lyric sites with them up yet. -- Check out The Wedding **"But A Breath**" A very beautiful song. _

_I'll put the lyrics on my profile if anyone's interested… _

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of it. Period._

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_**Bright blue eyes and a cheesy smile greeted him. "Riku! You made it!"**_

_**Not far behind a familiar redhead appeared. She latched onto his neck and didn't let go. "Welcome back!"**_

_**He slowly returned the hug. **_

_**Home…**_

Sometimes I wonder about Sora.

Really. Is he honestly that naïve and happy or is it something he hides behind? The proverbial and entirely cliched mask?

He's fighting against Selphie right now and letting her win. It's obvious. The keyblade master against a girl in a dress, wielding a jump rope? It's no contest. Tidus is above them on the ship, watching and swinging that pathetic stick around. Wakka is laughing about the battle, calling Sora names and taunting him. He doesn't mean it, just like I never mean it.

Sora's my best friend, even if he is a little on the weak side. He's got a good spirit at least. That outta get him somewhere.

The battle ends with Sora splayed out on the sand while Selphie dances circles around him, laughing out victory phrases in that annoyingly high pitch voice of hers. She hasn't really grown up any in the past two years, save for the physical part of it. She's definitely filled out rather nicely- bad Riku. We don't think about these things.

"_**Riku! You gotta come battle with us!" He pleaded once again.**_

_**He brushed a silver strand of hair away from his face. "Not today Sora…tomorrow, for sure." **_

"_**Aw man, you say that everyday…"**_

These are my best friends though and I love them…I guess.

The only one not goofing off on the beach is Kairi. Which is odd. Usually she's the first to start a fight – just as long as it doesn't involve her personally. She likes to watch, cheer from the sidelines. She's always been that way…except when it came to the raft. She had been more occupied with it than Sora and I combined even though I used to tease her about being lazy.

She used to say she liked it here on the islands but I always saw through that. She felt just like me, trapped. She wanted out just as I did. I blame my dad for that one. He told me something before he died, something that stuck with me.

"**You can't just sit around waiting for something to happen. You gotta make it happen. Get out there son, and find it. This isn't all there is…I can promise you that." **

The next day he had went off to one of the adjacent islands to meet with a friend. He never made it. Everyone assumed he was dead…but I wonder if it was because of what he told me. Maybe his advice hit home and he set off to find something else himself. I prefer that explanation, actually, because my father had never been a quitter. He didn't give up. Ever. Not once in the short 7 years I knew him did he fail at something. To assume he was just dead…

"_**This isn't all there is…I can promise you that."**_

He definitely wasn't lying. I found what was out there…and to be honest, it wasn't as promising as I had hoped. I much preferred being back on this little island with all my friends. I wish I'd never seen the things I'd seen. Maybe then the dark wouldn't scare me so much. Maybe I could sleep without the light on. Maybe the nightmares and cold flashbacks wouldn't haunt me.

That's my punishment though and I accept it. I'll live with it.

What I couldn't seem to accept was the loss of my friends. Not that I _lost_ them, so much as I lost them. Kairi doesn't trust me anymore…Sora doesn't know me anymore…I don't like me anymore.

"_**I wish he'd just talk to me. I…miss him." Her gaze lingered over the horizon, where Riku's shadowed form sat on the tree.**_

"_**Just give him a little longer Kairi…he's been through a lot."**_

_**Fire flared in her deep blue eyes. "We all have! But you don't see us wallowing in it! I have half a mind to just march up to that God forsaken tree and give him a piece of my-" Her voice broke.**_

"_**Shh…it's okay…it's okay…" He took her in his arms comfortingly, letting her cry.**_

I know I'll get past this. I just have to…to give it a minute. Behind me, I hear footsteps. I tense, waiting for the inevitable. He'll ask me to fight or ask if I want to go catch a movie or if I want to hang out at his place. She'll ask if I want to talk or if there's anything she can do or if she can just sit with me.

"Hiiiiya!" A loud battle cry is heard from right behind me. I barely have time to blink before I see a flash of red jumper and a blurred wooden sword flying over my head. Sora lands on his feet unusually gracefully at the edge of the rounded island, smirking arrogantly at me. "Hey there-" He begins to say something brash but a surprised expression quickly replaces the smug one.

He's lost his footing.

I watch calmly as he slips off the side and hits the shallow ocean below a few seconds later. An amused smirk finds it's way onto my face. I casually glance over the edge at him, snickering. "Nice."

"Shut up." Sora's voice drifts up to me, dry and submissive. I continue to watch as he trudges through the water and back to the shore. He turns then and smiles brightly at me, giggling to himself. I can't help but smile back.

Sometimes I really wonder about him.

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_The End_

_A/N: I don't exactly understand this much myself but…ah well. I was crazy enough to write it, I might as well see what you thought of it…_


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